CFTC Pushes Ahead With Crypto Rules as Congress Stalls

U.S. cryptocurrency regulation is moving forward through a different route after the Senate failed to advance major digital-asset legislation this week.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has submitted proposed cryptocurrency market rulemaking for White House review, signaling that the regulator intends to continue developing rules under its existing authority even as broader legislation remains stalled in Congress.

The development follows the Senate’s failure to advance the CLARITY Act, legislation designed to create a more comprehensive federal framework for digital-asset markets.

CFTC Sends Crypto Proposals for Review

The CFTC submitted two regulatory proposals covering crypto-asset transactions and crypto-asset markets to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

The move represents an important shift in the regulatory debate.

For much of the industry’s recent history, cryptocurrency companies have pressed Congress to establish clearer boundaries between the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The collapse of the latest legislative effort leaves federal agencies facing continued pressure to clarify how existing laws apply to digital assets.

The CFTC’s latest action indicates that the regulator is not waiting for Congress before proceeding with its own rulemaking agenda.

SEC Also Moving on Tokenized Markets

The CFTC is not the only U.S. regulator moving ahead.

The SEC has also taken steps involving tokenized securities, an area attracting increasing attention as traditional financial assets begin moving onto blockchain-based infrastructure.

Together, the developments suggest that the regulatory environment for digital assets may continue evolving even without passage of comprehensive market-structure legislation.

What It Means for the Crypto Industry

The immediate effect is not a complete new regulatory system for cryptocurrency markets. Rulemaking involves a process that can include government review, publication, industry feedback and further revisions before final requirements take effect.

But the CFTC’s decision is significant because it shows federal regulators are prepared to use their existing authority while Congress remains divided over broader legislation.

For cryptocurrency exchanges, institutional investors and companies developing tokenized financial products, regulatory attention is therefore likely to remain high.

The next major question will be how far the CFTC and SEC can reshape the U.S. digital-asset framework through agency rules and how those measures ultimately interact with any future legislation passed by Congress.

Source: CoinDesk reporting on the CFTC’s September 2026 crypto rulemaking submissions.